The one thing that I do find myself doing - even a year and a half after surgery is comparing my weight loss to others. I have to keep remind myself that my reality is not going to be someone else's reality.

I know that I have done pretty darn good. Right now I am fluctuating between 193 and 195. I have been doing this for the last couple of months. I honestly cannot remember the last time that was below 200 pounds. I am now wearing a size 16/18 (and sometimes a 14) and that is down...

Today I got the best gifts for myself that I could get.

The first one is that I hit my personal goal of 199 pounds. It is so weird to type that number. I can't remember the last time that I was below 200 pounds. It must have been sometime in the early 80's. I graduated high school in 1983 and I know that I was over 200 pounds when I graduated. I am actually smaller now than I was in high school! I cannot believe it. I am so dang proud of myself that I could bust.

If...

Had a talk with my Rheumatologist the other day. We are trying to get my arthritis under control so that I can do little things like walk normally.

I told him that we had to get it under control because I plan to run a 5k this summer. He looked at me with this look that he knew that I meant it.

He knows that I had the surgery and everytime that I see him he wants to know how much weight I have lost.

I told him that I want to do 5k's this year, 10k's next...

Well, I stepped on the scale today and weighed in at 277. This is the weight that I was when I discovered that I was pregnant with my daughter who is now 5 years old.

I have 58 pounds gone total. 34 of that since surgery.

I feel like my weight loss has slowed down a little bit. Part of it I know is that I am having a hard time exercising with my arthritis flairing up so badly. Can't wait to meet with my doctor on Tuesday to talk about this and see if there is anything...

Well, here I am, 5 days away from my surgery date.

On one hand I am so excited. On the other hand, the nerves have set in.

I originally was on this kick to have the condo looking spotless. I have given up on that mission. My arthritis is kicking in really badly right now and I can barely move. My hands look horrible right now and feel just as bad. I have decided that as long as the trash is taken out and the clothes are clean and put away then the rest will wait. I...